


United

by orphan_account



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Audra's not important in this, Character Study, Crying, Depression, F/M, First Time, Gen, He's the literal definition of bisexual disaster, Hurt/Comfort, It gets better I swear, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Pennywise is a little bitch, Porn with Feelings, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Mess, Suicidal Thoughts, Touch-Starved, wow I'm making this sound depressing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 06:47:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20737949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After the events of IT chapter 1, Mike stays in Derry and slowly slips into depression. After fighting Pennywise again, Bill confronts him about not trying to get out of the way of Pennywise's talon after the Ritual of Cude's failure. Feelings come to light, and there is sadness.ORI have too many feelings and wanted to jump through the screen and give Mike the hug he deserved for the majority of the movie.





	United

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first week in this fandom, and I wrote it last night at midnight after watching the 1990s version of IT for laughs. Because of that, the characterization is a sort of strange combination of the new movies, the mini-series, and the book. Hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Update: alright, here’s what’s up. I let someone who I thought was a friend publish this on my account. He has, however proven himself to be anything but as of late, and so I have cut all ties with him. Because so many people likes his story though, I am going to orphan it rather than delete it.

Mike was used to not fitting in. He knew that he wasn’t like the other kids in Derry. Hell, half the town new him purely as ‘Homeschool’. The only thing that he seemed to have in common with the other kids was the fact that Henry was out for his blood, but that only tended to drive them away from him faster. No one wanted any extra trouble with the Bowers Gang.

Things became better after he met the Losers Club. They were all caring in their own way. From Beverly’s tender kindness to Richie’s brash affection, Mike could easily say that he was far happier being the seventh member of the Loser’s Club than he had ever been in his life in Derry, Maine. After Pennywise’s attack, they had all been bonded tightly together and had spent almost every waking moment in the presence of each other. In the case of Richie and Eddie, more than every waking moment. It was no secret that Richie’s home life was less than ideal and that he would often sneak into Eddie’s room once in a while rather than sleep within his parents grasp. When he took to staying with Eddie nightly, the others didn’t comment.

Time wore on, though. While Eddie and Richie’s nightly endeavors continued, the other bonds forged that summer began to loosen slightly and Mike felt loneliness begin to creep back into his life. It wasn’t as much as before; more of just a slight shadow at the edge of his mind, but it was still there. It was there when he couldn’t meet them at the barrens because he was needed on the farm, or when they were laughing about something that had happened at school. Still, it was better than being alone.

There were times when the loneliness was forgotten. When Stan was teaching him about birds, or Richie was putting on a comedy routine for them all. Or when he was riding bikes with Bill. Those were some of his favorite times. Ever since Bowers had destroyed Mike’s bike at the beginning of the summer, Bill had always given him a ride. Now that Mike had gotten a new one he no longer needed them, but Bill would always still ride to the farm to meet him and ride up with him to the Barrens. Despite the beatdown he had received from Bowers, Mike still remembered that day fondly.

~

_Mike felt his breath leave him as he was slammed to the ground, Bowers’ foot pressing down hard on his back. He could make out the voices of Belch and Victor Criss, and he felt a small spark of relief that Patrick had decided not to make an appearance that day._

_“Where are your little friends, huh?” Henry asked, shoving his foot down harder. “Dumped you, did they? Guess your too much of a loser for the losers Club!” he crowed. Belch laughed and Mike felt a heavy kick against his ribs. Vic, he observed, was choosing not to take part in Henry’s merriment, but Mike knew not to expect any help to come from the ‘moral compass’ of the group. Vic knew better than to mess with Henry, even if he was Bowers’ favorite._

_Mike was granted momentary relief when Henry’s foot lifted but cried out in pain when it came back down to deliver a sharp kick. The beating continued, and Mike was sure that he had cracked a rib by the time Henry was finished. Mike tried to shift away from the older boy when he circled in front of him and hauled him up by the front of his shirt, but his body was too tired. Henry sneered at him before bringing his fist across Mike’s face. Mike fell to the ground with a crash and Henry gave him a final kick as he strode over to where the younger boys bike had fallen._

_“Hey Vic, help me take this thing apart,” he commanded. The blonde hesitated for a second, and Henry growled in annoyance before striding over and shaking him roughly by the shoulders._

_“When I tell you something, you fucking do it!" he screamed in the other boys face. Vic looked shocked for a moment and slightly afraid before quickly hurrying over to Mike’s bike and aiding Henry in destroying it. Mike watched as the three boys left, Vic trailing farther behind Henry than usual. He tried to will himself to get up and move towards the remains of his bike, but he could not. Everything hurt too much. He didn’t know how long he lay there, but suddenly there were hands on his back and a familiar voice in his ears._

_“Mike? Oh sh-shit, Mikey?” Bill said, turning Mike so that he could see his face. “D-did B-bowers get you?” he asked. Mike nodded, still dazed, and allowed Bill to pull him up so that he was leaning all his weight on the leader’s shoulder._

_“My bike,” Mike whispered, voice hoarse. Bill looked around and swore when his gaze landed on the broken remains of Mike’s only form of transportation._

_“Well I g-guess we’ll ha-ave to use S-s-silver,” he decided. Bill brought him first to the clubhouse where Eddie had stashed a full box of first aid supplies, and then, after letting Bill take a nap practically on his shoulder, back to the farm._

~

Mike always smiled at the memory, and Bill did to whenever it came up in conversation, though less so when Bowers was mentioned.  
  
As time continued, the Losers slowly began to grow further apart. Beverly was the first to leave. She tried to visit on weekends, but Portland was far, and she was beginning to have her own life down there. Pretty soon they only saw her once every month, and soon only around Holidays. Ben was the most broken up about it, and Mike felt for the boy. It was fairly obvious that he was holding a torch for Bev. He supposed Bill had been once too, but it was only embers now. Mike couldn’t say why, but it made him glad.

Stanley left a few years after, his family moving away their second year of high school. Apparently they didn’t think Stanley was getting a good enough education, and Stanley agreed. He was going to be attending a private school that Mike was too depressed to remember the name of. Once gone, he never came back. They received a few postcards and a phone call or two around the holidays, but other than that it was as if Stanley had never existed.

Richie came and went, his career as a comedian beginning to pick up in their junior year. He would get gigs at bars in other towns and at bars, using a fake ID that Beverly sent him from Portland to get drinks. As he began to really start down his own road in life, he began to start dreaming of things bigger than just Maine. Finally, after a particularly nasty fight with his parents, he had come to the Losers to say goodbye. Through a cracked lip and broken nose he had cried and hugged them all. Eddie had broken down sobbing on the spot, and Richie had looked like he was about to change his mind entirely. Mike knew better though. He was gone the next morning.

Eddie, Mike, and Bill were the last of the Losers left in Derry, and Mike could feel the other two beginning to pull away. After Richie’s departure, Eddie had become withdrawn and quiet. When he began applying for colleges on the other side of the country, Mike wasn’t even surprised. When Eddie eventually did leave, Mike had long given up on being sad. He had wished his friend well, and got a promise of letters, knowing full well he wouldn’t receive any. He did not.

Bill’s leaving was something that Mike just couldn’t comprehend. Logically he had known that it was coming. Of course Bill would want to go somewhere else, live his life away from the town where his brother had been brutally murdered by a demonic clown from space. Still, when Bill came to him saying that it was going to be their last month together, Mike felt his world begin to cave in. Big Bill, their grand leader, was leaving Derry.

Mike wondered when he would end up feeling the inevitable strings or desire to leave the small town. He waited, but never felt them. And so he stayed. He would have liked to say that the lack of correspondence with his friends didn’t bother him anymore, but he could not. Life went on for everyone but Mike. He took a job as a librarian and kept himself holed up in his room in the back when he wasn’t working. He only left the town once, and that was when he visited the Shokopiwah to learn about the origins of IT, and the ritual of Chude. Otherwise, his life was quite uneventful.

He could feel himself beginning to slip under as he reached his mid-twenties. A veil of hopelessness had seemed to fall over the world, and he couldn’t seem to find a way to lift it. The days trickled onward and, before he knew it, Mike was thirty and scared out of his wits. On the day of his birthday, a date which Mike had barely cared to remember, the first body was discovered. A little girl of about five years of age was lying mangled outside the library. Mike had been the one to find her and call the police. Her insides were missing, and there were bites taken out of her limbs and a gaping hole in her cheek. Mike had spent the rest of the day holed up in the library and vomiting. By the seventh confirmed death and twelfth disappearance, Mike knew what he had to do.

~

“Mikey, Woah, hey,” Bill said, clearly uncomfortable with the bear hug he was receiving. Mike felt like he might break down and cry at the sound of his old nickname and Bill’s voice. The threat of Pennywise was momentarily pushed to the back of his mind as his friend tentatively returned the embrace, and Mike only smiled more when Bill began to remember the Losers. He felt a pang of sadness when Richie and Eddie barely recognized each other and wondered if they would ever remember the nights they’d spent in each others embrace or the way that they’d cried when Richie realized he needed to go out on his own. Beverly, it seemed, had also forgotten a lot, including Ben and his letter. Mike began to realize that he was, once again, alone in this. While the Losers were present, he was the only one who could remember anything about their experiences that fateful summer. It didn’t matter though, he reasoned with himself. He just needed to get Bill on his side. The others would follow.

The failure of the Ritual of Chude broke something in Mike. Something he couldn’t identify if he tried. As the clown towered over him, al he could do was apologize over and over again. He had dragged all the Losers back, and here was his punishment. Perhaps the others could still make it out. He was still murmuring his desperate apology when he felt a weight slam into him and knock him out of the way of Pennywise’s talon. He opened his eyes to Bill lying protectively over him. Their eyes met for a split second and Mike could swear he saw something flicker in the depths of Bill’s hazel irises but didn’t have time to try and figure out what. Within a second, they were scattered in different directions.

Even after the battle with IT, fear still ruled them. Mike had watched Richie cry and pace and cry some more as they awaited the doctor’s verdict on Eddie. After a long night of praying and sobbing in the hospital waiting room, the doctor came out to tell them that Eddie was going to pull through. He had died three times on the table and would never walk again, but he would pull through. Richie had collapsed on the group, sobbing into Beverly’s knees in relief. The second that anyone was allowed in to see Eddie, Richie had bound inside and seated himself firmly in the chair by the other man’s bedside, refusing to move until Eddie had woken up.

When Eddie was finally released from the hospital, Richie wheeled him out to his own car and the two-headed to New York where an SNL audition was awaiting Richie. Mike watched as they drove away, Eddie’s head resting on Richie’s shoulder.

Beverly and Ben left next. According to Ben, were off to see the world, and Mike had promises from both of them to write. He had a strange, hopeful feeling that they would this time. Beverly gave him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek before climbing into the passenger seat of Ben’s car. Mike waved until they had driven out of sight. All that was left were him and Bill.

“Mikey, w-what a-a-are you gonna do n-now?” Bill asked. They were sitting in the clubhouse, neither sure of where they wanted to go. Mike sighed. Now that the Losers were all gone again, the emptiness of the past twenty-seven years was beginning to set in once more.

“I don’t know. What I’ve always done, I guess.”

“Hi-i-de away in a libr-r-ary, you mean? P-pray for death?” With a start, Mike realized that Bill sounded angry. He couldn’t bear the thought of Bill being angry with him, but he couldn't figure out what to do to change it.

“Bill?” he asked uncertainly.

“I saw you down in tha-that c-cavern. You would have let him run you th-thr-through if I hadn’t pushed you out of the way,” Bill growled.

“I froze-”

“N-no you d-didn’t, Mikey,” he said. “Y-you made a ch-choice.” Mike felt a lump form in the back of his throat as he felt the truth of Bill’s words sink in. A heavy silence filled the space until Bill spoke again, his voice soft.

“Mikey, l-look at me,” Bill said. It was the same soft authority that had made the Losers so drawn to him when they were kids, and Mike felt tears begin to well up in the back of his eyes but refused to let them fall. Ever instinct yearned to look up; to do as Bill asked, but he just couldn’t bear to see the disappointment that the other man’s eyes surely held.

“Mikey,” Bill said again, his tone slightly sharper, but not cruel. Never cruel. Mike looked up slowly, his mind hazy as if in a dream. As if none of this was truly happening. He slowly brought his eyes up to Bill’s, and let out a ragged sob at the tenderness he found there. The _love_ that far surpassed that he had ever seen directed at him before. He tried to look away, but a hand gently but firmly grabbed his chin and kept him looking forward. It was the contact that did it. The warmth and softness of human touch. Mike curled in on himself, his tears rushing forward as Bill moved closer, pulling the other man closer to him.

“Shhh,” Bill whispered, placing a light kiss on Mike’s forehead. “I’m still here,” he assured him. “I-I know it h-h-hurts,” he whispered. “Tw-twenty-seven years of this, and you just w-want it to stop,” he whispered, and Mike felt like he was going to shatter. Bill, as always, spoke the truth. He tried to gulp down air and Bill began taking deeper breaths with him. His entire life had revolved around Pennywise. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now.

“Just b-breath,” Bill instructed, and Mike obeyed. The feeling of warmth was intoxicating and Mike felt himself begin to drown in the sensation. He was barely thinking when he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Bill’s. When the hand tracing his arm froze, he was pulled sharply back into reality.

“I-I’m sorry, Billy,” he whispered in shame, looking down at his trembling hands. Bill ran a hand down the back of his head and neck in a calming gesture.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he whispered, running his hand around Mikes nack to cup his cheek before leaning back in and capturing Mike’s lips once more. Mike whimpered at the feelings that shot through him, and curling closer to Bill until he was practically in his lap. He just needed to feel. To feel the solid warmth of another person. To feel the shelter that Bill provided from the constantly raging storm.

Bill’s mouth moved from his mouth to his jaw, and Mike reached up and grabbed the lapels of Bill’s jacket, pulling him closer. He moaned as Bill lightly nipped at his neck and pressed and open-mouthed kiss to his pulse point.

“Mikey…” Bill groaned as Mike tugged lightly on his hair. Mike pulled the other man close and let his eyes flutter shut as Bill nipped and kissed his neck and jaw.

“Fuck, Mikey I love you,” Bill whispered against his skin.

“I’ve always loved you,” Mike whispered back, petting Bill’s hair back gently.

“Why didn’t you call?” Bill asked, and Mike looked down again. “I hadn’t realized that you had all forgotten. I thought that you just didn’t,” his voice broke and he took another gulp of air. “I thought that you just didn’t care about me anymore. You all were so successful and I was just… a madman,” he whispers, Pennywise’s taunting words coming back to him. They had cut deeper than any of the other Loser’s had realized at the time. Mike had earned a reputation in Derry, and it wasn’t a kind one.

“H Mikey…” Bill murmured sadly. “It wasn’t true success without you there. Without any of you there. I don’t have anything back home except for my books and a bunch of bad endings.”

“Your wife-

“Emailed me divorce papers after the first three days of being in Derry. I didn’t even write her back before signing them. I never loved her, and she didn’t love me. It was Holywood, you just o with whoever’s in the news until they piss you off so much that you can no longer bear them. Guess I pissed her off to that point,” Bill said with a slight shrug.

“Come back with me, get out of this place,” he whispered, nipping lightly at Mike’s ear. “Please, I can’t watch you stay here,” he said, sliding his hand down Mike’s shirt and spreading his warmth to the other man’s chest. Mike made a startled noise between a whimper and a groan before leaning up to kiss Bill once more, allowing him to part Mike’s lips with his tongue and deepen the kiss. Mike brought his hand up and held Bill to him, letting out a moan of surprise when the author’s fingers brushed over his nipples. He felt himself being pushed back to the wall of the clubhouse but didn’t much care. All that mattered was the fire dancing under his sin as Bill slotted their body’s together.

“Please Mikey, come back with me,” Bill said again, turning his attention back to Mike’s neck. Mike gasped and his hands flew back up to Bill’s hair. Bill grinned against Mike’s skin, pleased that he had found such a sensitive area.

“Yes,” Mike whispered, cutting himself off with a whimper as Bill raked his teeth lightly down the side of his neck before retracing the same path with his tongue.

“Bill, please,” Mike begged, hand tightening in the other man’s hair. Bill bit lightly at the junction between his neck and shoulder and let one of his hands flick over the other man’s nipples before rolling his hips forward, earning a moan of appreciation.

“Billy,” Mike whispered, grabbing at the other man’s shoulders. “Billy, please,” he whispered, moaning again when Bill repeated the motion. He felt spasms of electricity go through him when Bill’s movements dragged their erections together, the material of their jeans adding rough friction which almost proved too much to handle. Bill’s motions began to speed up, and he let out a whimper as he thrust down against Mike.

“Fuck Mikey, I’m never letting you go again,” he gasped out, nuzzling the other man’s neck. “How could I ever forget you, Mikey. My Mikey,” he whispered, panting. Mike was the first to reach his climax, his body convulsing as he gripped Bill’s shoulders as if expecting him to vanish into smoke. Bill lowered himself on top of Mike and groaned loudly when he felt the other man begin to palm him through his jeans. He came in a rush, face buried in Mike’s neck and hands holding him close.

“I was serious, I want to take you with me. When I go,” Bill finally said after a few minutes of lying tangled in each other’s arms. Mike curled closer to him and kissed him slowly.

“As was I,” he replied.they stayed there for the rest of the night before heading out the next morning to pack before catching the first flight out of Derry. Bill frowned at Mikes lack of personal belongings and had told him that if he thought he could get away with living under Bill’s roof with only one book, he was wrong. Mike didn’t argue.

~

Bill sat beside Mike, both talking softly when a cough drew their attention to the door of the sectioned off area they had reserved.

“Well, you two look cozy,” Beverly said, her hand clasping Ben’s tightly. She looked happier then she had the last time they’d seen her. Apparently not having the looming threat of a demonic killer clown and abusive husband looming over her head really helped. Go figure.

“H-hey Bev! Ben!” Bill exclaimed standing up and embracing the two other Losers. “W-we’ve mi-issed you guys,” he said.

“Well we’re glad you thought to call everyone together,” Ben said, walking over to Mike for a hug. “Bev had just closed the deal of a lifetime in Hong Kong, and there’s no one we’d rather celebrate with,” he said as they all sat down at the table.

“Any word on Trashmouth and Spaghetti-man?” Beverly asked.

“Oh God, not you too!” the voice of Eddie said as he wheeled into the room, Richie following close behind. “It’s bad enough I have to deal with coming from my idiot boyfriend, and now you too? I am betrayed!”

“Come on Eds, you know you love me,” Richie said.  
  
“I tolerate you at best,” Eddie huffed, only making Richie’s grin widen.

“Mikey! Billiam! How lovely it is to see you!” he said in a horrible British accent as he drew them both into a bear hug. “How has life with the author been serving you?” he asked Mike.

“Good, when he remembers to eat,” Mike said slyly.

“One time,” Bill grumbled. “You forget to eat ONE TIME and suddenly it’s your legacy.”

  
“If by one time you mean twelve, then sure,” Mike replied. As the others laughed at Bill’s expense, Mike looked around the room at the grinning faces, his eyes momentarily resting on the empty seat that he had left in honor of Stanley. He smiled when Bill squeezed his hand under the table, and he lightly squeezed back. When the morning came the next day and everyone went their separate ways once more, Mike no longer felt the sting of sadness that he was so accustomed to feeling. He knew that the Losers would stay united. 


End file.
